The recent iPhone eavesdropping bug has whipped up something of a frenzy after a glitch was discovered that affected users of its FaceTime feature.
In an era where we’re constantly being hit with data breaches, and were online security is at the forefront of many people’s minds, the issue has resulted in a great deal of worry for some people. And with Apple often talking about how much they value privacy, this latest glitch has no doubt caused a bit of embarrassment.
Some have called for people to refrain from using the FaceTime feature until the iPhone eavesdropping bug has been resolved. We’d be inclined to agree.
What is the iPhone eavesdropping bug?
The iPhone eavesdropping bug has led to callers reportedly being able to hear audio from a target device before the other person has actually accepted or rejected the call. This is understood to have stemmed from an issue affecting iOS 12.1 and later.
As a result of the issue, some experts have suggested that people should disable FaceTime on their iPhone or iPad devices until the issue is resolved.
It could certainly be seen as an uninvited processing of personal data, which is the kind of thing we often help people claim data breach compensation for.
The iPhone eavesdropping bug is incredibly worrying
This iPhone eavesdropping issue is incredibly worrying for obvious reasons. People could use the bug to intentionally listen in on other people they’re targeting.
Although it sounds like it might be hard to really abuse it in such a way, it could still be achieved.
The bug can also makes us question if there are – or could be – similar problems as well. Many of us continue to worry about just how much the likes of Siri is hearing, and whether that data is being stored anywhere. We understand that that’s not the case, but having recently discussed wanting a McDonald’s, and then finding my Google Maps somehow knowing that’s where I was headed when I jumped into my car an hour later, it makes you think. Just how did my phone know that’s where I was going to go? It’s not a regular journey I take…
Even when the iPhone eavesdropping issue is resolved, there are many who may remain concerned.